Farming is a lot of things. Essential. Rewarding. Rhythmic. But it’s seldom easy.
The Ballew family knows this all too well. Over four generations, they’ve faced “a big ball of challenges.”
But, through grit, love, and a little luck, they’ve always found a way to cultivate good things.
Their 400-acre farm in Madison County, Kentucky, has been in the family since the 1930s. That’s when Lester Ballew, through relentless dedication and hard work, began acquiring adjacent plots of land. Today, Lester’s grandsons Lonzo and Leroy, plus Lonzo’s daughter Angel, run the whole operation.
In addition to growing things like soybeans, wheat, hay, fruit, vegetables, cattle, and poultry, Ballew Farms is cultivating something much deeper – a sustainable future for the farming way of life. Through partnerships with other farmers, the agricultural industry, and the USDA and NRCS, they’ve helped create a thriving community focused on soil conservation and long-term environmental stewardship.
From their strong roots in eastern Kentucky, the Ballew family is helping bridge the gap between the past and future of farming in America. And that takes almost constant work in all sorts of conditions. In this video, you’ll see our Flatland and Evanston styles, both built to handle the rigors of farm work while still being easy to wear thanks to a pull-on design.
